I'm familiar with Naim in name only, but I really like the look of their gear (what shipsupt called "goofy xbox" aesthetic). Thinking about picking up a pre-amp / power-amp combo from them.

Also of interest is their new USB DAC, which has a matching small power amp. Seems like it would make for a nice setup to use with desktop monitors.

Only thing is, Naim seems to be allergic to balanced outputs / inputs?

Another company which intrigues me to no end but which I know nothing about is Chord Electronics. Their products look so alien, so unlike anything else in the audiophile realm. Here's their QBD76 DAC, Prima pre-amp, and Mezzo 50 power amp.

Their integrated amps look a bit more traditional:

On the DAC front I'm sort of torn between the NAD M51, Berkley Alpha 2, and Invicta. With some DACs like the M51, there's a built-in pre-amp which is kind of cool. For speaker amps I'm thinking about stuff from Naim, Luxman, or Accuphase.

Naim is decent, but not really in the same league as Accuphase or Chord. If you're looking for an amp for full-sized speakers, just look into some used Levinson power-amps and pre-amps. Great sound at more reasonable prices.

It's truly shocking how bad southern US drivers are in snow. They seem to think they literally cannot drive in the stuff. Today is our first decent snowing (2-4") and I'm rolling through my neighborhood and come up to a 2 way stop right as a car on the street that has no stop sign is also coming up. She has her blinker on to turn into the street I'm coming out of, it's a normal street with plenty of room. So she stops right in the middle of the street she's on and waves for me to turn despite her not having a stop sign and a clear path to where she needs to go. The street only had some slush on it, no hardpacked snow or anything remotely dangerous. I have no further words...

Moral of the story, keep your gear close and never ever take your eyes off a thieving bully.

Wow, Manitoba is a LOT more exciting than I previously thought!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuppetFace

I think I might be weirding the anime thread out by suddenly popping up and talking about transexuals LOL.

I think they get like that whenever a girl posts in the thread. If I didn't see it happen for myself, I wouldn't have believed it. Upon first learning that a girl is there, half of them wallflower and get real quiet. The other half [attempt] to go all rico suave. It's kind of cute.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuppetFace

I've thought about it, but there's actually a big difference: I don't have to watch myself teaching. If I posted videos online I'd be too tempted to watch as I made a total ass of myself.

LOL, ignorance is bliss? I highly doubt that would be the case though. Just sayin', there are some people that should me making vids, and some people that shouldn't, and you're part of the former. Lemme know if you ever do, I'll subscribe to your channel.

OH! Before I forget! I saw some interesting speakers and thought of you. I'm not going to post about it in the CES thread because I don't know a thing about it. It was the last day, the booth was practically empty, and it was just sitting there:

So if you've got a room that's already decked out with gourds, this'll blend right in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong

I made a video about a heap of portable gear I had here at once. I never published it. It even has some really lame jokes in it. Took me a couple of dozen takes and goes for 20 minutes or so, which is as much as the D7000 would do before stopping.

I'd like to see that vid if at all possible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxvla

It's truly shocking how bad southern US drivers are in snow.

That's like California drivers at the first sign of rain. It's the kind of thing that makes you worried about the future of the species.

I think they get like that whenever a girl posts in the thread. If I didn't see it happen for myself, I wouldn't have believed it. Upon first learning that a girl is there, half of them wallflower and get real quiet. The other half [attempt] to go all rico suave. It's kind of cute.

It's less "oh look a girl!!" and more like MF going in with srz bznz, something which the thread lacks every time. Oh and that one time with lily? Yeah. I never bought into it. Some do, and I suspect some genuinely really believed it. I, with my ever cynical and skeptic eye, saw through whatever Reality Distortion Field I concocted. It just felt fake and exploitative to some of the guys there, and that gave it all away for me.

I felt pity...

Oh and like always, with the speed that they adopt, anything will be swept away in 5 minutes.

IIRC, it's like this chick which conveniently likes all the not really mainstream anime but still good ones, and, surprise surprise, she cosplays too. Some of the regulars there exchanged skype contacts. I never really gave too much of my attention to it though, since I think that time I had a few exams going on. There was a few pics of her cosplaying, purportedly, until I guess someone did a reverse image search and found out that, shocker, it's images from some other cosplayer. I think it was a cosplay of Yoko from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (amazing anime btw, if one can ignore the lolboobs of Yoko).

Something something passive aggressive by me and a few others that didn't go all "OH GIRL!!!", and I flamed a lot in my secret facebook (I think DF had the unfortunate fortune to see my colorful description, and I'm sorry) and then she suddenly went missing, nobody talks about her anymore and now is only a memory. Or maybe a figment of the imagination and a glitch of Huddler!!!!

Oh man, dat juicy forum drama. That's the best kind. Currently trying to score a pair of TG 334's. God I wish I had just bought Anakchan's. His pair seems to have landed into the palms of an enigmatic figure with no feedback nor history to speak of :l

Hmm talking about legendary IEM falling on elusive forum members, I feel like I just like IEMs' way of presentation. I like the contrast some of the good ones gave me in terms of soundstage, or what I would prefer to call "headscape". That intimacy of vocals in contrast with instruments is just sublime, and it's something that I find lacking in the few headphones that I manage to try (and own).

I mean god damn, all those years watching anime exposed me to some of the world's finest female vocals I've had ever heard, and some of the most vibrant and diverse and fusion-y music. So to have that super awesome vocals and the hyper amazing style of music, and portable? Why not.

As if it's not obvious, my main focus in songs are vocals, especially female, and if it's not present, the way instruments play with together. The more instruments are played at the same time, and the more layered it sounds, the better. Mostly.

IIRC, it's like this chick which conveniently likes all the not really mainstream anime but still good ones, and, surprise surprise, she cosplays too. Some of the regulars there exchanged skype contacts. I never really gave too much of my attention to it though, since I think that time I had a few exams going on. There was a few pics of her cosplaying, purportedly, until I guess someone did a reverse image search and found out that, shocker, it's images from some other cosplayer. I think it was a cosplay of Yoko from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (amazing anime btw, if one can ignore the lolboobs of Yoko).

Something something passive aggressive by me and a few others that didn't go all "OH GIRL!!!", and I flamed a lot in my secret facebook (I think DF had the unfortunate fortune to see my colorful description, and I'm sorry) and then she suddenly went missing, nobody talks about her anymore and now is only a memory. Or maybe a figment of the imagination and a glitch of Huddler!!!!

DUN DUN DUN

Classic.

I miss the days of the original diary thread when kiteki would post photos of herself attending her classes in Japan with her friends, posing for pictures taken via camera phone with a mischievous smile. Random folks would stumble in and try to flirt.

Funny thing is, there are people who post in the diary thread on occasion who people don't even know are female. Dun dun duuuuuun.